Can skaters, scooters coexist at skate park?

April 13, 2012

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Silas Irish performs an inward bri Wednesday at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court. He is part of a group asking the city to include scooters in the definition of a skateboard at the facility. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Gavin Pellkofer does a bar twist Wednesday at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. The city is looking into whether to allow scooters on the facility, which riders regularly use even though they risk being kicked out. Some parents have asked the city to reinterpret the rules. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Omar Aguilar goes airborne at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. Riders say a scooter is a skateboard with a handle and should be allowed on the skate court. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Gavin Pellkofer does a bar twist at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court. A group is asking the city to add scooters to the definition of gear allowed at the facility, built in 2000. Scooters have soared in popularity, not just on flat surfaces but also on ramps and spines. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Angel Dominguez does a double tail whip at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court. Riders say they can coexist with skaters, though they say that when it's crowded, they sometimes receive derogatory remarks. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Omar Aguilar does a 360 on his scooter at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. "There are some skaters who like scooters," Aguilar said. "I'm friends with everybody." FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Silas Irish does a nose-grab on his scooter at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court. He wants the city to legalize scooters at the facility. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Omar Aguilar performs an indy at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. Scooters are commonly used at the facility. The rules on a posted sign don't explicitly ban them but list only skateboards and in-line skates as permitted. Riders of scooters say in-line skaters no longer use the facility and that scooters should be considered a type of skateboard. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Payton Jansen, right, observes as Silas Irish performs a flair on his scooter Wednesday at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Foot firmly planted on his vert board, Omar Aguilar soars over a spine at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Payton Jansen does an aerial 360 at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. Some scooter riders are asking the city to recognize scooters as an allowed type of board at the skate park. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

A group watches as Silas Irish does a 360 tuck no-hander Wednesday at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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These are the posted rules at Ralphs Skate Court, a San Clemente recreation facility where some scooter riders are asking the city to permit scooters. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Angel Dominguez does a 180 bri at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Silas Irish completes a backflip on his scooter at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. You can watch videos of him on YouTube. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Payton Jansen, Gavin Pellkofer, Omar Aguilar, Silas Irish and Angel Dominguez, from left, were among scooter riders practicing their craft Wednesday at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court, where scooters are not permitted. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Gavin Pellkofer does a no-footer at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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This is how San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court looked Wednesday afternoon, when it was relatively uncrowded. During peak periods, there can be tension among different user groups. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Payton Jansen powers over a spine at San Clemente's Ralphs Skiate Court. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Gavin Pellkofer performs a 180 bri at Ralphs Skate Court. Scooters aren't officially allowed and are sometimes ordered off the courts, but riders persist and are asking the city to give them equal access. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Omar Aguilar draws attention from onlookers as he completes a 360 whip at Ralphs Skate Court in San Clemente. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Gavin Pellkofer does an invert at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court. FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Silas Irish performs an inward bri Wednesday at San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court. He is part of a group asking the city to include scooters in the definition of a skateboard at the facility.FRED SWEGLES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

POLL

Can scooters and skaters coexist on San Clemente's Ralphs Skate Court?

It's a question local officials are taking up at the request of some scooter-riding youths and their parents who want the city to legalize scooters on the 14,000-square-foot facility the city built in 2000 for skateboarding.

At that time, using a scooter to ride ramps wasn't as popular as it is today. Through the late 1990s, when city officials engaged San Clemente's skateboard community to help design and raise funds for Ralphs Skate Court, scooters weren't even on the radar.

The sport of riding scooters was still developing, a city staff report said this week, but in the past four years it has grown so popular that scooters are a common sight at Ralphs Skate Court, though the city doesn't officially allow them there.

The posted rules state that only skateboards and in-line skates are allowed. But enforcement against scooters is sporadic, officials said.

"As soon as the cops shoo them away, they're just going to come right back," said Paul Jansen, a San Clemente father who visits the facility with his scooter-riding son. He sees skateboarding and scooter riding as similar.

In 2007, BMX bike riders asked the city to legalize the bikes at Ralphs Skate Court, but the city, after consulting with its insurance carrier, said no. This week, several scooter riders and their parents made a similar request to the city's Beaches, Parks & Recreation Commission. Commissioners took no action, as city staff plans to research the question further, including liability.

Would legalizing scooters at Ralphs Skate Court turn it into a South County scooter magnet? Tracey Irish, a scooter mom who attended Tuesday night's commission meeting, doesn't think so. "People are riding all the other parks anyway," she said.

A visit Wednesday afternoon to Ralphs Skate Court found skaters and scooters performing tricks with no apparent conflicts on the uncrowded ramps. Irish's son Silas, a skilled scooter, said that on crowded days, scooter riders sometimes get derisive comments from skaters.

"It's a new sport and it's becoming too mainstream, so every little kid that sees it (comes) to the skate park and they like it," said Omar Aguilar, a skilled scooter. "I'm OK with that, but they don't know how to ride their scooter as well, and some get in the way and the skaters get mad. There are some skaters who like scooters. I'm friends with everybody. There's some skaters who we're really chill with."

Josh Giddings, a skater who frequents Ralphs Skate Court, said it can be dangerous to skate among scooters. "They're sketchy," he said. "They go in mass numbers. They make the park insanely crowded. There's just so many of them because they're so easy to ride."

Dave Hickey, a San Clemente father of three scooter riders, said he believes the groups can coexist. "I think the rules kind of make a division ... skateboards vs. scooters," he said. "(Without the rule), it wouldn't be one's turf vs. another's turf. We just came from Palm Springs. There were scooters everywhere."

Tracey Irish questioned whether a rider swinging his scooter around poses a danger to others on the court or whether scooters are safer because there's more control – a handle – vs. skateboards, which can fly off in all directions. She also asked whether the city might build an additional skate court or designate hours for scooters to avoid conflicts.

City staff announced plans to ask the skateboard community via email and Facebook about joint use by scooters and skaters. Staff will provide more information for the commission, possibly by the commission's next meeting May 8.

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